Kings? Such a thing can never be!"; and the Caliph answered,
"Thou sayest sooth, but I will tell thee the reason. Know that I
and he learnt in the same school under one schoolmaster, and that
I was his monitor. Since that time Fortune befriended him and he
is become a Sultan, while Allah hath abased me and made me a
fisherman; yet I never send to him to ask aught but he doeth my
desire; nay, though I should ask of him a thousand favours every
day, he would comply." When Nur al-Din heard this he said, "Good!
write that I may see." So the Caliph took ink-case and reed-pen
and wrote as follows,--"In the name of Allah, the
Compassionating, the Compassionate! But after.[FN#62] This
letter is written by Harun al-Rashid, son of Al-Mahdi, to his
highness Mohammed bin Sulayman al-Zayni, whom I have encompassed
about with my favour and made my viceroy in certain of my
dominions. The bearer of these presents is Nur al-Din Ali, son
of Fazl bin Khakan the Wazir. As soon as they come to thy hand
divest thyself forthright of the kingly dignity and invest him
therewith; so oppose not my commandment and peace be with thee."
He gave the letter to Nur al-Din, who took it and kissed it, then
put it in his turband and set out at once on his journey. So far
concerning him; but as regards the Caliph, Shaykh Ibrahim stared
to him (and he still in fisher garb) and said, "O vilest of
fishermen, thou hast brought us a couple of fish worth a score of
half-dirhams,[FN#63] and hast gotten three dinars for them; and
thinkest thou to take the damsel to boot?" When the Caliph heard
this, he cried out at him, and signed to Masrur who discovered
himself and rushed in upon him. Now Ja'afar had sent one of the
gardener-lads to the doorkeeper of the palace to fetch a suit of
royal raiment for the Prince of the Faithful; so the man went
and, returning with the suit, kissed the ground before the Caliph